Neymar awaits Copa fate after Brazil stunned
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BRAZIL captain Neymar faces a nervous wait to discover his Copa America fate after getting sent off in a post-match fracas as the five-time world champion crashed to a 1-0 defeat against Colombia on Wednesday.
Neymar risks a two-match suspension — ruling him out of Brazil’s final group game and the quarterfinals — after appearing to aim a headbutt at Colombia goalscorer Jeison Murillo after the final whistle.
Tournament disciplinary chiefs are expected to confirm the length of Neymar’s suspension today but reports in the Brazilian media said the 23-year-old Barcelona star faces a two-game ban.
The striker had already picked up his second yellow card of the tournament for a deliberate handball — automatically ruling him out of Sunday’s final Group C match with Venezuela — when referee Enrique Osses showed him a straight red.
Neymar was scathing of the match officials after Brazil slumped to its first loss to the Colombians in 24 years.
“In my view the rules are always used against me,” Neymar told Brazilian media, criticizing Osses’ decision to caution him for a handball in the first half. “I was off balance, the ball hit my hand but it was not intentional. They put a weak referee in there to whistle up for all that. The team didn’t play well.”
Brazil coach Dunga also laid blame at Osses’ door after the defeat, which complicates his team’s route to the knockout rounds. “He allowed rough play and provocation and then we had the lamentable scenes at the end,” Dunga complained.
Neymar’s Brazil and Barcelona teammate Dani Alves lashed out at Chilean following the defeat.
“Referees have to stop thinking that they are the stars, the stars are not them — they are there to control the game,” Alves fumed. “We are used to this in South America — everyone here is against Brazil.”
Alves also accused Colombia’s players of seeking to provoke Neymar, 12 months after the striker suffered a broken vertebra during the two teams’ stormy World Cup quarterfinal battle. “They know the personality of Neymar and they went in search of him,” he said. “They tried to provoke him and make him nervous.”
But victory was sweet for Colombia, which was subjected to rough-house tactics from Brazil last year during the World Cup in a 2-1 quarterfinal exit, a match scarred by a whopping 54 fouls. “We had a great gameplan and it worked today,” said Colombia’s Real Madrid star James Rodriguez.
“Four days ago we lost to Venezuela when we played well, tonight we played well and beat Brazil, sometimes it happens like that.”
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